Voter Suppression Conspiracy Hounds Howling at the Moon

Little Rock Nationally President Obama announced the formation of a panel that would convene for 6-months to look at the voting system in the United States in order to see if lines could be shorted and voting could be made less burdensome. Meanwhile back at the ranch, a simple majority is enough to overturn a governor’s veto in Arkansas, so the likelihood of the Republican state legislature overturning the Democratic governor’s veto of another draconian voter ID requirement in order to suppress the vote is pretty much guaranteed.

Reading the convoluted arguments over the last week in the Arkansas newspapers has been an experience. One op-ed was dripping with good intentions and sincerity, as the writer argued that it was ridiculous to think that anyone who was elderly would lack an ID. Such a statement simply introduces a man who has no experience with the elderly and perhaps anything else walking and talking on two feet. Over the last year I have hauled and rolled my dear mother, 89 years old, around from pillar to post to try to get her squared away with a valid “legal” ID to handle some legal requirements she had. Now, don’t misunderstand me, this is a woman of the world who could produce an aged passport, though expired, and several old driver’s licenses, though expired, and a small ream of other corroborating information, but nothing that would satisfy the governmental or financial establishment of her identity because they were expired. Several of the writers assumed everyone had a driver’s license which is also patently absurd. Simple examples of myopic mirror gaze of policy makers not willing to venture past much past the front door, country club, and, unfortunately, halls of government.

Thank god they are ever vigilant in solving a problem of voter fraud that by all evidence virtually does not exist in the United States, which is why all of this is so clearly about suppression of the vote, rather than regulating the voters.

The Texas GOP bulletin offers some clues for their concern. One wacko speaker was quoted waving the ol’ bloody shirt with ACORN’s flag:

ACORN solidified its power in whatever community it was in by helping people with government assistance applications and voter registration. After we processed your public assistance application, we knew where you belonged to each government program. When it came time to fill a bus to the polls, the same person that helped you get food stamps or tax advice could show up and press you to vote.

I’ll be honest. That was the dream for sure: seamless organizing and political machine. The practice, sadly, was millions of miles away from that vision.

The proof is simple to offer. If we had been that well organized, we would have kicked all of these folks’ asses. Given that they are still walking around talking this stuff and passing these crazy laws and ACORN isn’t, then as they say in Latin, QED, therefore it is proven.